What's the sound in my headphones today?
 

The only criteria I'm giving to this is that the albums or tracks reviewed will almost certainly be a first time listen on what I have recently acquired or dragging an lost gem out of it's hidey hole kicking and screaming.

Agoraphobic Nosebleed- Altered States Of America (2003)

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/8...alteredcb3.jpg

99 tracks long and clocking in at well under 12 minutes this is certainly an acquired taste. Four vocalists, a drum machine, one guitar and endless samples and F/X create one hell of a racket. Is it a gimmick or is it a sincere attempt to make one of the most intense albums ever?

Luckily I was growing up when Grindcore first reared it's head in the late 80's over here and I have been to many all day Hardcore/Grindcore/Punk festivals so I can 'tolerate' this a lot easier than if I was reviewing my first Grindcore album.

Listening closely I can say that it is certainly not a gimmick and despite the ridiculously short length of the tracks there is plenty of imagination and variation to keep me entertained. What used to bore me after a while with Grindcore was the guttural vocals. After a few tracks I got bored. With 4 vocalists on board and only one employing this vocal technique my attention is still kept up. This along with the electronic backbone in many songs give the band a 'Cyber Grind' tag (just in case I start being corrected on their genre tag).

I thought the album was enjoyable in both concept and product. If you fancy your ears being cleaned out or an experience in just how far Music can go sonically, then give it a go brave people. It's fucking mental.


-- Official Agoraphobic Nosebleed Site --

Just downloaded. I'm really looking forward to it. Great review by the way.

That album cover is fantastic. Looks like another one i know, just cant bring it to mind right now. Good review, will check it out.

Although my knowledge of African music is fairly limited, I regard Fela Kuti as one of my favourite artists. His pioneering of Afrobeat is an amazing genre of music. So I decided to delve a little deeper into African music. King Sunny Ade takes it roots from yoruba music but it adds guitars, banjo's, steel drums and in the 80's-synthesisers and herein lies the problem.

What I love about Fela Kuti's music is the incorporation of Jazz and deep Funk bass lines which makes the music sound timeless whereas KSA's music sounds dated in many parts and missing that deep bass that evokes the vitality and passion of Africa.

To compare these two artists is a little unfair as they play and have expanded upon the traditional Yoruba music but KSA does'nt grab me emotionally or as passionately. Sure it is very well played and not at all offensive but it is also, in the main; forgettable and on some tunes you could imagine artists such as Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel (in their African tinged output) doing very similar music.

Dead Machines - Futures (2005)

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Never has a band name and album title been so apt. This wall of dissonant, disintegrated electronica does indeed sound like dead machines or is it the future of music? No structure but there is construction. Rambling yet precise in it's intentions. A state of technological decay or is it rebirth?

Over 50 minutes of dischord that is disturbingly listenable. Four tracks that begin in the earths core and explode into outer space. Not somewhere that I would want to live but sporadic excursions into it's lair leave you repulsed yet fascinated.

Amazing revew. I'm definatley checking that out.

Did you check out Agoraphbic Nosebleed yet? The Dead Machines album is definitely an acquired taste and is more of a reaction than an appreciation. Even my brain hurt after listening to it.

As a matter of fact I did. It was probably the best grincore album I have ever heard. Anything else like it you would reccomend?

I have a review brewing that may sate your new found 'Noisy' music phase :D

Fat Freddy's Drop- Roady (2005)

Stop pretending that it does'nt get your foot tapping. Music can be enjoyable too folks.

Jack, I stand in awe of and envy the depth of your musical diversity! I used to think I had an eclectic taste in music, but some of this stuff is just WEIRD! There is no way, based on the description of it alone, that I personally would even attempt to listen to most of this stuff, but then I know my limitations and have no real need or desire to explore the musical galaxy beyond my own comfortable home planet.
But to be able to appreciate all these wildly different genres is, well, amazing! If I didn't know you were into Marillion, Riverside et al, I would think maybe this was just your sort of bag (as, for many, it probably is), but I know you are also into what I will call "normal" music (!) :) and so to be able to listen to all this mad stuff too is quite a feat.
I would never have any interest in this sort of music, but bow to your experience and I guess tolerance, my friend! :)
And now, I retreat back to the safety of good old rock music....

I agree, I love your posts for this very reason.

Adoration :love:

Do you like dirty, drone-like, sludgy, ginormous (it's a word for today only) guitar riffs. What about drum tracks that sound like they have been recorded in a garage or vocals that swagger? then listen to one of Japan's best bands-Boris. Compared to their previous releases it is more accessible yet it is still ramshackle and cacophonous enough to satisfy all who like nothing better than big slabs of distorted guitar. Fantastic stuff.

Fucking brilliant album, riffs like those just put a huge fat smile on my face.

I have been a fan of Agnostic Front for over 20 years with their '86 release 'Cause For Alarm' being one of my favourite Hardcore Punk releases. Still going and releasing top notch stuff, their latest is one of their strongest releases for years. If you want to hear the American bands that I grew up with and are still banging quality out you may now understand why I constantly whinge about how lame Pop-Punk is. Exactly how this stuff should be played. Stellar

The lead singer seems like a bit of a goofball to me, but the music is energetic and powerful sounds like horses running.

He is doing a very bad Fred Durst impression which is annoying to look at but the sound is still as tight as a nuns crimp.

Rap/ Hip Hop -It's all good.

Surreal & the Sound Providers. Nice easy flow and great Jazz Tunage.



Strange Fruit Project-You. Hip Hop and Soul can work and sound better than all that MTV trash.


Dalek-Classical Homicide. Organised chaos. A truly original rap act.


Roots Manuva- The Falling. We don't produce a lot of great Hip hop. He is the exception.


Public Enemy- Burn, Hollywood Burn. Quite simply one of the finest Rap tracks ever.


The Roots- Here I Come. Shake your booty.

Loved the Agnostic Front song. Which one of their albums should I start with?

Try 'Victim In Pain' which was way back in 84. If you can dig that, then you will have no problem with the rest of their discog.

A little known album when Aesop Rock fronted a band that played a Rock/ A Tribe Called Quest type of vibe. It is damn fine bouncy Hip Hop. Nothing more to say really except that PM is your friend. No Youtube vids. It seems like it's kinda rare.

PM pretty please?

"pink" is a great album. not close to my favourite boris, though.

[QUOTE=jackhammer;542989]

Agoraphobic Nosebleed- Altered States Of America (2003)

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/8...alteredcb3.jpg



I listened through and I learnt something about myself....I LOVE MELODY, probably too much.

That Art Official Intelligence album is amazing. Have they done anything else?

No that's it. I can't even find an album pic out there now for it. A blink and you'll miss it album by the looks of it.

Gojira are a French metal band that I personally think blow the crap out of most Metal bands of the last few years (and although I am not a huge fan) they are beginning to be mentioned in the Meshuggah/ Mastodon school of Metal.

Gojira play a technical hybrid of Thrash/Death Metal with a huge emphasis on unusual chord structures and one of the best drummers I have heard in Metal for a while. As a long standing Metal fan, it is rare that a band can 'muscle' in on my listening habits as the scene has become evermore saturated but Gojira are definitely something special.

I have posted this before (apologies) but this is one of the best metal tracks I have heard for years:

I liked Warriors a lot more then Victim In Pain. I haven't got around to listening to cause For Alarm yet, is it any good?

Cause For Alarm is the album that got me into Agnostic Front and I love it but you may find it a little raw compared to Warriors.

Y'know i didn't end up getting a Gojira album, sorted now though, they sound very promising.

Man this is fucking gooooooood.

What album have you got?

From Mars To Sirius. How can you like this and not Mastodon? They're like kindrid spirits!

The production is much better for Gojira. A little meatier. I have still to check out anything other than Blood Mountain though. Maybe I will grab something later. From Mars To Sirius is phenomenal though.

I'd go Leviathan, possibly their best though it's hard to pick.

Instead of the usual Guitar/ drum combo, I like to have a blast of some big Electronic sounds now and again and usually have a splurge of getting three of four albums. They almost always end up being German as along with Prog and Metal, they seemed to be damn good at it. This is from the aforementioned band SHNARPH and has a kick like a mule. If you want something heavy and loud and don't find the idea of a band being all electronic then give it a go.

^
Great find!
I'm half way through it atm, and liking most of it :D. Definitely something refreshing, as I haven't heard much modern industrial/electronic that kept me interested.

Yeah a lot of bands do sound similar but I really like these. Try Icon Of Coil as well.

Funky, I love stuff like this! Any suggestions of similar artists?